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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25001017">something to talk about</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby'>helsinkibaby</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hawaii Five-0 (2010)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Everyone Finds Out, F/M, Fluff, Het, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:22:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,126</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25001017</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Junior talks to Tani, who talks to Noelani who talks to Steve.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Noelani Cunha/Steve McGarrett</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>something to talk about</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>any. any. He gives me the same feeling I get when someone puts a margarita or German chocolate cake in front of me.</p><p>https://comment-fic.livejournal.com/697968.html?thread=92034160#t92034160</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hey, so we need to talk.” </p><p>Noelani looked up from her computer screen as  Tani walked into her office,  looking like she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Which could be for many reasons, many of which were no great cause for concern. Tani had a reputation, well deserved, for intensity in all things. Knowing that, Noelani smiled, leaned back in her chair. “Shoot.” </p><p>She expected Tani to sit but she didn’t, instead pacing from one side of the room to the other. “So, you know Junes has been staying at my place... like a lot. Even since McGarrett’s been back. Especially since McGarrett’s been back. You know, give the boss his space and all that.” She stopped, looked at Noelani, then began pacing again. “And something you may not know about me is that I’m kinda,  like, a bit of a slob sometimes, laundry isn’t exactly my first priority when Junes and I get home, you know?” </p><p>Noelani nodded, wondering where this was going. She did not want to be told in explicit detail exactly what Tani’s first priority was. She’d seen them at the end of nights out, she could guess. “So we woke up this morning and Junior has no clean shirt. No big deal, right? I throw on a load of laundry and meanwhile, he can cope with yesterday’s shirt til he goes back to McGarrett’s because he knows he has one there.” </p><p>A vague suspicion started to take shape in the back of Noelani’s mind. Knowing that Tani was now staring at her, she kept her face very, very still. </p><p>“Except when he got there, he figured out pretty quickly that McGarrett wasn’t alone.” </p><p>“Oh?” </p><p>Tani stepped closer to Noelani’s desk. “Junior didn’t see anyone... but he heard enough to know what was going on.” Placing her hands flat down on the table, shoulder width apart. “Is there something you want to tell me?” </p><p>Noelani didn’t have to think twice about her answer. “No.” </p><p>It was honest but it wasn’t enough for Tani. She glared at Noelani and the huff of air she let out was enough to move some of the papers on the desk. “Let me rephrase.” Her lips were curling up as a smile as she spoke. “How long have you been having secret sex with my boss and why the hell didn’t you tell me?” </p><p>“Well, if I’d told you, it wouldn’t have been a secret.” Which Noelani thought was pretty logical. Tani, however, threw her hands up in the air and made an exasperated noise. </p><p>“Don’t play cute with me.” Tani’s hands were back down on the table again. “I want details.” She stopped, held up one hand. “Not too many details because he’s my boss, and just, no.” She shuddered theatrically. “He’s been back for three months,” she continued. “Has it been that long? Please, don’t tell me I missed that many signs.” </p><p>Noelani refrained from pointing out that Tani hadn’t actually seen any signs at all and would still be in the dark if it weren’t for bad laundry habits. Instead she shook her head. “Only for the last three weeks,” she said and even that had Tani’s jaw dropping. </p><p>“Three weeks? Danny’s head is going to explode.” Noelani didn’t disagree. “Why didn’t you tell anyone?” </p><p>“We wanted to see where things were going.” Noelani shrugged. “Also, secret sex? Way hotter.” </p><p>She had the pleasure of seeing Tani’s eyes bug out. “I did not need to know that. Like ever.” She dropped down in the chair across from Noelani, shaking her head, either in disbelief or to try to dislodge Noelani’s words. “Is it serious?” She closed her eyes, lifted her eyebrows. “Forget I asked that. I know you, you’re, like, Little Miss Relationship.” </p><p>Noelani had been called worse. “I really like him,” she admitted. “He gives me the same feeling I get when someone puts a margarita or German chocolate cake in front of me. Warm and tingly all over.” </p><p>Tani looked like she might actually throw up. “That is disgustingly sweet. Or sweetly disgusting, I’m really not sure.” </p><p>“Except...” Noelani bit her lip. </p><p>“Except?” </p><p>“I don’t know if he feels the same way. I mean, we talk... it’s not just all sex. But it’s only been three weeks, is that too soon to have the talk?” For a reason that she couldn’t understand, Tani’s lips curled up in a smile. Then, as she pulled her cell phone from her back pocket and waggled it at Noelani, the penny dropped. “You are not going to ask Junior to talk to him.” </p><p>“Oh please. Like he’d talk to Steve about that.” Tani scoffed at the suggestion and Noelani relaxed. Until Tani followed it up with, “He’ll talk to Danny, who’ll talk to Steve, that’ll clear it right up.” </p><p>“Tani, no. I mean it.” Tani tilted her head, eyed her up. If she’d been holding a gauntlet, she definitely would have thrown it down. Noelani held her gaze for a long moment, then sighed. “I’ll talk to him.” </p><p>Noelani kept picturing Tani’s triumphant look for the rest of the day, right until she was at home that evening, relaxing on her couch with a glass of wine in her hand. She wasn’t on call that night, was looking forward to a quiet night in, just her and some cheesy reality television but that plan went south when there was a knock at her door. </p><p>Somehow she wasn’t surprised when she opened it to see Steve standing there. “Hey, Noelani,” he said and she felt herself smiling as her eyes ran over his body. He’d obviously come straight from work - the black cargo pants were a dead giveaway - and the blue button down shirt was one Noelani had admired on him on more than one occasion, including some predating their change in relationship. It made his eyes seem even warmer as they moved across her body. </p><p>“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” </p><p>“Only reality tv that has no basis in reality,” she said, stepping aside to let him in. “You want a beer?” </p><p>“That’d be great.” He followed her into the kitchen and she felt his eyes on her as she grabbed a bottle from the refrigerator. And, fine, she might have put a little extra sway in her hips as she walked, leaned over a little more as she grabbed the beer. But she really liked the shirt, okay? </p><p>Besides, if the way his eyes had darkened when she turned back to him, if the way he slid an arm around her waist, pulling her close and pressing his lips to hers was any indication, he didn’t seem to have any complaints. </p><p>The kiss was regrettably short as far as she was concerned but when he slid his hand into hers and walked with her into her living room, dropping down beside her onto the couch, she figured that was okay. Especially when his arm draped across the back of the couch, his fingers playing idly with her hair. </p><p>She’d always loved people doing that. </p><p>“So,” he said after a moment. “Something weird happened tonight, before I came over here.” </p><p>He paused, looking like he expected her to ask a million questions. Instead, she just tilted her head. “I’m sorry, something weird happened to Five-0? Is that supposed to be unusual?”</p><p>She was teasing him and his lips quirked up in a smile. Tilting his beer bottle in what she thought was supposed to be acknowledgement, he continued, “Junior stuck his head into my office. He was very keen to let me know he was staying at Tani’s tonight. All night.” He put particular emphasis on the last two words. “Tani was standing just outside, looking like she found something very funny.” </p><p>Noelani didn’t speak, but she did take a hefty sip of her wine. </p><p>“So I was thinking...” Steve sounded almost like he was fighting a smile. “Do you think it’s possible Junior came home this morning before you left and...” His voice trailed off as he made a circular motion with his hands, trusting her to fill in the blanks. </p><p>She took another gulp of wine before speaking. “Yes.” </p><p>Steve blinked, almost like he hadn’t been expecting her to treat this so seriously, much less confirm his suspicions. “Yes, it’s possible or...”</p><p>“Yes, he did.”</p><p>“And you know this because...?”</p><p>“Because Tani paid me a visit this afternoon and told me.” His mouth fell open with a silent “ah” as the pieces fell into place and she bristled as she placed her glass none too gently on the coffee table. “She practically shone a light in my eyes to interrogate me,” she told him and that did make him chuckle. </p><p>“I trained her well.” </p><p>“Too well,” she grumbled. “And speaking of training, where was yours? SEALs are supposed to have these superhuman responses, you didn’t hear the front door opening?” </p><p>Steve narrowed his eyes, even as his lips twitched. “My hearing was a little compromised,” he told her and just like that, she remembered that morning, remembered how he’d kissed a path down her body, his hands holding her down almost hard enough to bruise as he’d buried his head between her legs and proceeded to make her lose her mind. “Besides,” he added, and the twitch became a full on smirk, “you can get kind of loud.” </p><p>Noelani opened her mouth to protest, then as Steve raised one eyebrow, still smirking, she realised he was entirely right. Pressing her lips together, she looked away from him, knowing her cheeks were flushing, partly from embarrassment, partly from memory. “Hey,” Steve’s fingers, cold from his bottle of beer, grazed the back of her hand. “I didn’t say I was complaining.” </p><p>She knew her cheeks were on fire now, but she couldn’t help but smile. </p><p>“So,” Steve said after a moment, “they know. And if they know, it’s a safe bet the rest of the team do too.” </p><p>“Or they will.” Secrets had a way of not lasting very long among the Five-0 team. Even as a team member adjacent, Noelani knew that. </p><p>“And... how do you feel about that?” Steve sounded strangely hesitant, more unsure than she’d ever heard him. </p><p>“Me?” Noelani asked. </p><p>“Sure.” Steve shrugged and anyone else might have thought he was casual, unaffected. Noelani knew better, could see the shadows in his eyes, the thin line of tension that ran along his shoulders. “Noelani, they’re my team, I love them, but they’re nosy as hell. I’m used to it, but-”</p><p>“Have you forgotten that I’ve been working with them for over four years now?” Noelani countered. “They’re my friends too... and I’m well aware of how nosy they are.” She remembered when she and Manti stopped seeing one another: Adam and Junior had both offered to pay him a visit, Tani and Quinn had taken her out dancing to cure her broken heart that hadn’t been all that broken in the first place. “I can handle it.” </p><p>Too late, she heard the challenge implicit in that sentence. And because God forbid Steve McGarrett should ever back down from a challenge, he lifted both eyebrows, laid his hand on his chest. “And I can’t?” </p><p>“But do you want to?” Apparently Noelani was also incapable of backing down from a challenge. </p><p>She wasn’t sure if it was because of what she said or that she’d said it at all that Steve’s jaw dropped slightly. He stayed still and silent for a long moment, then he leaned forward, laying his beer bottle on the coffee table beside her glass of wine. “Noelani...” His voice was soft as he drew out her name, as soft as his touch when both his hands wrapped around one of hers. </p><p>Noelani’s heart began to beat a little faster. </p><p>“Noelani...” he said again, “I want to.” She felt a smile break across her face. “The last three weeks, don’t get me wrong, have been great... really great... but I would really like to take you out on a real date. See where this goes. Because I have a feeling...” His free hand reached out, brushed across her cheek. “It’s going somewhere really good.” </p><p>She knew she was grinning like a crazy person. She also didn’t care. “I would like that,” she told him. “But...” Steve was beginning to smile, but the smile faltered when he heard the “but.” </p><p>“But?” he asked and it was her turn to smirk. </p><p>“But we’re not doing that tonight... right?”  </p><p>He grinned as he got her meaning, let go of her her hands to slide both arms around her waist and bring them closer together. “No,” he murmured, bringing his lips to hers. “No, we’re not.” </p><p>That suited them both just fine.</p>
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